Winter's End
by Dragonwing Writer
Summary: For one with ice powers a quiet just doesn't happen. But as the winter months come Arendelle finds itself buried in drama, mystery, and misadventure. Elsa must confront political warfare, Kristoff becomes haunted by his past, Olaf and Sven take trouble to new heights, and Anna must face her greatest adversary yet- her former Latin Tutor.
1. A Frozen Heart Worth Mining

**A/N:** I'm getting an alignment glitch with the first line that I can't seem to fix. It goes away when I put an author's note above it though.

Also this chapter has been edited from its original publication. I went back to rework some things and do some light edits, nothing major.

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><p><em>And from the mass a voice was heard.<em>

_Then there came another_

_Slowly at first more arose, growing higher and higher_

_They spread upwards into the sky_

_The many became one_

_And the mountains sang out_

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><p>Moonlight flowed in through the window and onto the head of a small bed.<p>

Kristoff lay on his side with his back to the light. His eyes shut he limply pushed away his covers with one hand and rolled over, causing his face to fall into the light. He squeezed his eyelids tighter together and rubbed a fist in one eye. He yanked the sheet over his head and rolled over again. He lay for a moment before flinging off the covers. He clambered to the end of the bed and to the window. He looked up at the moon which was hovering just above a large tree.

"They did say we'd have to leave before dawn..." Kristoff said.

Less than two seconds passed before Kristoff jumped out of bed. "I bet it's almost morning anyway!"

He sprinted out of his room and over to the door across from him. He paused outside and slowly pushed it open and peered beyond it. It was dark inside but the bed at the edge of the room was still visible. Kristoff looked at the bed; in it two people lay asleep. He started to back away from the door when he stopped.

"They sleep a lot anyway," he said. He flung the door open and ran across the room. He leapt onto the bed and crawled to where the two faces peaked out from under the covers.

"Mom! Dad! Wake up!" He said. He bounced in place a few times.

"Tell me it's the morning," his dad said without opening his eyes.

"Morning starts before dawn, dear," his mom said.

Kristoff pulled the covers off of them. "Come on! Wake up! You said it would be today!"

His dad sat up. "Look son, I'm not entirely sure it _is_ today. I think it might still be last night."

"But Dad, you said when the moon peaked over those trees it was morning!"

His dad fell back into a horizontal position. "Then they sure don't make nights like they used to."

His mom yawned and pulled herself up. "I think Daddy needs a little more sleep honey," she said.

"I'm up, I'm up," he said throwing his hands into the air.

Kristoff clapped his hands. "Can we leave right away? Can we?"

His mom laughed. "But Kristoff, we need to eat breakfast."

Kristoff sprung to his feet. "I'll go get it ready then!" He jumped off the bed and ran out the door.

"Are you sure he's ready?" his mom asked. "He seems so young..."

His dad leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "That's what they all say. He'll be fine."

Kristoff's mom laughed. "And _that's_ what _they_ all say."

"If he has the energy to wake us up at this hour he can make it to the lake."

"But he's barely four!"

His dad climbed out of bed and pulled on his pear-shaped, square-shaped shoes. "I was three when my parents first took me to the ice. Besides, he's almost five."

His mom threw a pillow at him. "You were not either three your first day." She laughed.

"So you were there then were you?"

His mom slipped out of bed and began to dress herself. "Funny then, how neither of your parents were ice harvesters."

"There's more to ice harvesting than just heritage."

His mom rested a hand on her hip. "Like singing?"

"I'll have you know that I'm very proud of my voice."

"Sorry dear, but I need to make sure Kristoff hasn't just set fire to our home." She slipped out of their bedroom and stepped into the main room. Kristoff was heaving a pot across the floor and a pile of carrots lay on the table. She rushed over and gently lifted the pot from his hands.

"I think we may need more than just carrots to eat."

Kristoff chewed at his lip. "But the carrots are all I can reach."

_Not coincidentally, h_is mom thought. She put the pot down on the counter and took the carrots from him.

"I was going to cook them." Kristoff said.

"I'll tell you what. You go get dressed and I'll make a nice, warm breakfast for us all, alright?"

"Alright," Kristoff said and scampered back into his room, his pajama top trailing behind him.

His mom chuckled and set a few logs in the fireplace that held a pile of glowing embers.

"Where does he get all of that energy?" Kristoff's dad said as he shuffled in.

"He gets it from your side of the family."

"Always my fault isn't it?"

She walked over and wrapped her arms around him. "He's a beautiful boy. We should feel lucky to have him."

"Is breakfast ready?" Kristoff shouted as he bounced half-dressed into the room.

"Oh, I do. I do."

By the time Kristoff's attire had been properly adjusted and breakfast had been prepared and eaten the merest hints of sunlight had begun to poke up over the horizon. Kristoff's father brought their horse out from the stable and reined it to the sled. His mom carried their tools, some food, and other necessities to it. Kristoff, in turn, did his part by carrying out the critical task of carrying the lantern out to the sled. Kristoff kept his distance from the horse, Krutt they called him, and skirted around the sled to avoid it. Once Kristoff was in the sled he started to laugh and as old Krutt started to go, pulling the sled behind, Kristoff began to bounce.

"You could get hurt if you jump around like that!" His mom grabbed him and held him in place.

"No I wouldn't! I never fall. Even if I did the snow would catch me!"

"I still want you to be more careful than that."

"C'mon! Let him have a little fun. This is a big day for him."

"And what a disappointment it would be if we had to turn back to fix up Kristoff's broken skull."

"Here, let me have the boy."

"No! I'm not letting you near him."

Kristoff felt a tad like luggage but by now he was used to being held in laps or changing hands. But being used as a tug-a-war rope was a new one. Of course it _was_ kind of fun.

Finally, his dad gave up. "Suit yourself. It's going to be a long trip. Longer than he's used to anyway."

"I don't care," Kristoff said. "I love this sled!"

After a lull had passed over them his dad pointed to a tall shadow in the distance. It was surrounded by other mountains but the one he pointed too stood out amongst them all. It towered over the others. "See that mountain son?"

"I see it," Kristoff said after giving it a half-second's glance.

"That's the Northern Mountain. It's the tallest peak in all of Arendelle. Some say the world even. Oh, I've heard tales of mountains in far, distant, places that were bigger even it. But I figure that no matter what the height may be, nothing on earth could look more majestic than that."

Kristoff looked back at the mountain, staring long and hard this time."What made it so big?" he asked. "And what does 'majestic' mean?"

"Majestic means big and wonderful. As for the mountain, some of them are just big. But I've heard tales that this mountain was built to imprison an evil queen who tried to cast the entire kingdom into an eternal winter. But to this day her powers remain, making the top of the peaks stay cold all year."

"Wooooow, is that true?"

"Well of course it is! Why once I climbed up that mountain myself and when I got to the top it was covered with ice! The ghost of the evil queen flew about, freezing anything she say! Snow monsters ran around. There was a great big dragon and a bunch of little people. The little people were trapped up there, slaves to the evil queen!"

"What happened?" Kristoff said.

"Well, after I fought off all of the snow monsters using nothing but my bare hands I captured the queen!"

"Really?!"

"Of course! And when I did I made her let all of the little people go! She promised to never hurt another person. And I told her that if she ever tried to that I'd send my son after her and teach her a good lesion! That straight-up scared her to pieces. So we'll never have to worry about any ice queens anymore!"

Kristoff clapped his hands. "_I_ want to climb the Northern Mountain too!"

"Someday when you're older," his mom said. "But when you do everyone is going to cheer for you! You'll go down in history as Kristoff the great. The most skilled mountain climber of all time."

"Someday I will," Kristoff said. "I really _am_ going to climb that mountain."

"Of course you are honey." His mom said with a smile.

Kristoff begged for more stories of heroic deeds and of the little people. And his parents never seemed to run out of them. They continued onward with the sled full of laughing and tales of far-off lands and distant people, of magic and heroic deeds. These stories carried them through the mountains faster than a ship at full sail until old Krutt halted and they came to a stop, just as they were telling Kristoff of how his mom had saved the kingdom from and evil wizard.

As soon as the sled stooped Kristoff jumped up to look around. They had emerged from the woods and into a clearing. Mountains towered above them in all directions. And of course it was impossible to miss the frozen lake that lay in front of them. Horses, carts and ice harvesters were scattered about. The site of the lake and of the people walking across the ice brushing away the snow seemed to mesmerize Kristoff.

"Is this really it?" he said.

"This really is it," his mom said. She picked him up and carried him down from the sled. As soon as she touched ground he sprung from her arms and ran through the snow, kicking clumps of it and sending them piling every which way.

"This is great!" he shouted.

"Keep off the ice until we get there alright?"

"Alright!" Kristoff shouted.

"This is the perfect day for this," his dad said as he handed a bundle of tools down to his mom.

"It is. Last time Kristoff would have frozen his little nose off."

"Speaking of let's catch up to the little ball of energy."

"look! the snow's all sticky!" Kristoff called. He tossed a sloppily made snowball into the air and tried to catch it. His hands missed but his face was dead-on.

"That's because it's so warm out," his mom said.

Kristoff wiped the snow from his face. "But if it's warm won't the ice melt?"

"Well it would," his dad said. "But the lake's been frozen all winter. It'll take more than a day or two of warm weather to melt the ice on the lake. Especially with a winter as cold as the one we had."

"What does 'especially' mean?"

"It means even more," his mom said. "It means to be even greater. You could say that you're an especially brave child."

Kristoff mouthed the word a few times before returning to his bouncy self. "Can we go on the ice now? Can we?"

His mom knelt down next to him. "I'll tell you what. Right now all of the ice harvesters are getting ready to cut the ice. We need to stay out of their way so let's wait at the edge of the lake right now. Is that alright with you?"

"Are you an ice harvester?"

"Yes I am. And you dad is too."

"Alright, I can wait."

"I can wait with you. My part won't come in for a little bit. Until then we can watch dad work."

"What does dad do?"

His mom sat down in the snow next to the ice. "Your dad takes a saw and cuts the ice. It starts it for all of us. We can't harvest the ice until it's cut."

"Can I help him?"

"I think we should just watch for now."

So they watched as his dad and the other harvesters gathered in a line. Each of them held a saw still for a moment before they plunged them into the ice at once. They moved together and after a few strokes they began to hum. Soon they built up a rhythm and they began to sing.

"_Born of cold and winter air _

_and mountain rain combining..."_

"What are they doing mom?" Kristoff asked.

"They're singing honey."

"Oh."

"_This icy force both foul and fair_

_ has a frozen heart worth mining._"

"Why are they singing?"

"It helps them keep rhythm."

"What's rhythm?"

"it means that when they sing that they can work together better. See how they all move at the same time? The singing helps that."

"_So cut through the heart, cold and clear._

_Strike for love and strike for fear._

_See the beauty sharp and sheer._

_Split the ice apart!_

_And break the frozen heart."_

"What do those words mean, mom?"

His mom took a breath. "Those words have been sung by ice harvesters for as long as I can remember. I don't really know where it came from. But if you listen to it you might be able to figure out what it means."

Kristoff sat silently and listened.

_"Beautiful!"_

_"Powerful!"_

_"Dangerous!"_

_"Cold!"_

_"Ice has a magic can't be controlled._

_Stronger than one, stronger ten_

_stronger than a hundred men!"_

Kristoff looked up at his mom. "It kind of sound like they're afraid. Like the ice scares them. Is ice that scary?"

"Well," his mom replied. "It isn't all about being scared. The ice harvesters risk their lives every day taming the ice. Ice is a lot like life in some ways. It can be dangerous or beautiful. I think the song's about how we can tame both the ice and life a whole by loving it."

"Do you love the ice mom?"

"Yes, Kristoff, yes I do."

Kristoff watched as the harvesters kept singing and cutting the ice.

"Can I go on the ice now mom?"

"You'd better wait a little while longer." His mom got up and grabbed a pair of tongs. "But my jobs will be needing to get done soon. Can you wait without me for a little bit?"

"Alright," Kristoff said. He sat and listened to them as they continued to sing and watched his parents work. They continued cutting the ice, pulling it out of the water, and splitting it into pieces. After a while his parents broke away from the rest and walked to the edge of the ice by Kristoff. While Kristoff found something of interest poking out of the snow.

Kristoff's dad walked up beside his mom. "Me and a few of the others were going to go further in. This will be our last stop of the season so we may as well go a bit deeper."

"Alright. I'll go check on Kristoff."

His dad turned back and walked closer to the center of the lake. Then men around started another round to the song.

"_Born of cold and winter air _

_and mountain rain combining..."_

"How are you doing?" Kristoff's mom asked.

"Fine," Kristoff said without looking up.

"What's that you're looking at honey?"

Kristoff's dad and the other men got into position at the center of the lake. They waited a moment to build up a rhythm with the other singers.

"_This icy force both foul and fair_

_ has a frozen heart worth mining."_

Kristoff toyed with the small green sprout that poked out from the snow. "Look," he said. "It's a coltsfoot. Just like you said. See the stem?"

"What?" his mom murmured. She leaned in closer to examine the sprout.

"_Cut through the heart, cold and clear."_

His mom wrapped her arms around Kristoff as though the little flower might leap up and attack them. "But it's early. Much to early..."

"_Strike for love and strike for fear."_

His mom's gaze shot up to see the men standing in the center of the lake, about to plunge their saws into the ice. She leapt to her feet and ran onto the ice.

"_No!"_ she shouted.

"_There's beauty and there's danger here!"_

"Get off the ice!"

Some of the men looked up but in those in the center of the lake slid their saws into the ice.

"_Split the ice apart!_"

_Crack._

The world stood still as the resounding noise split through the air. The ice buckled, letting out another crack. Across the ice men dropped their tools and ran for shore.

Kristoff sprang to his feet. "Mom! Dad!"

"Stay there Kristoff!" His mom ran across the ice, fighting past the people rushing in the opposite direction. Another crack exploded from the lake and the ice began to cave in. Dark water sloshed up between the frozen sheets. The men scrambled off the shifting ice. Kristoff fought to see what was going on as the harvesters began to run past him. When he was able to break through he saw the ice collapsing in the center of the lake. People fell in. His mom slid to a halt at the edge of the break. Around her the harvesters pulled themselves out of that water. His mom was shouting something.

Kristoff saw his dad burst out from the water and grab onto the ice. But as soon as he hauled himself out of the water the ice broke off, once again plunging him into the lake. Kristoff's mom jumped into the water after him.

"Mom! Dad!" Kristoff shouted again. _Why isn't anyone helping them?_ he thought.

Around him people were running every-which-way. Kristoff strained to see the water, to try and see his parents.

There was a splash and his mom broke the surface. She had his dad in her arm. She fought to make it out of the water but plunged back under. A few seconds later they burst out again only to sink once more. Kristoff watched, eyes wide as they dipped below the surface. But this time they didn't come back up.

"No!" Kristoff started to run onto the lake but he stopped mid stride. The ice was cracked and glared up at him menacingly. He looked back to where his parents were. He stared down at the ice. He turned and ran. None of them men noticed him. None of them followed him as he made his way through the trees, tripping and stumbling with tears streaming down his cheeks. He ran until his legs buckled somewhere in the forest. Tears streaked down his cheeks and he let out a low wail.

He felt a pair of warm arms wrap around him. "Don't cry," crooned the voice. "Everything will be alright." The warm arms held him and the soft voice whispered comfort into his ears until Kristoff cried himself to sleep.


	2. Cut Short

**A/N: **This chapter has been updated from original publication. I fixed some grammatical errors.

**A/N** Now is a good time to mention that this story is a direct continuation of my previous work, _Those We Protect_. Eventually events that occurred in it will be vital for this story but for now all you need to know is that there was some dude named Dagon who fought with Elsa and the fight didn't end to well for Elsa's hair. That and he had ice magic that was later carried over to Elsa.

Just like last time any resemblances between this story and any fanfiction by a different author is purely coincidental.

On a final note; at the end of this chapter I'll use the words "sie" and "hir". They're a bit obscure but they're just gender-neutral pronouns.

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><p>Elsa looked at herself in the mirror. She was aware of the way she looked. She knew that she had what many considered an attractive appearance. He clothes and face were part of who she was. She was pretty, some even said beautiful, but more importantly she was herself. And her hair was as big a part as anything.<p>

She gently pushed up at the base of her hair and let it drop. Her fight with Dagon had left her hair unevenly torn. There was no repairing the missing piece. And that left Elsa with who she was now.

_A short-haired freak._

"It doesn't look that bad," Anna said from behind her. Beside Anna Gerda was standing with a pair of scissors in her hand.

"Dagon _ruined_ it!" Elsa said.

Anna placed a comforting hand on her sister's shoulder. "You said yourself it was a small sacrifice-"

"But _look _at it!" Elsa gave a yank to what was left of her hair. Shorter as it was Gerda had done an exceedingly good job with the scissors. It was evenly trimmed and tapered off in the back of her head. Of course it didn't even go down far enough to cover the back of her neck, but that wasn't _necessarily_ a bad thing.

"It looks fine, right Gerda?"

Gerda gave a nervous nod_. How do you tell the queen that she has a bad haircut?_ she thought. _Especially if you were the one to have cut it._

"See? Gerda likes it."

Elsa stared into the mirror. Her face looked thoroughly unconvinced.

Anna decided to try a different approach. "I always say that short hair gave us power!"

Without looking up Elsa reached out a hand and batted at one of Anna's braids. "What about those?"

Anna smoothed the braid against her neck. "Well, umm... I'd rather look decent than have power." Anna let loose the laugh she'd been holding in since the first snip Gerda had made.

Elsa pushed herself to her feet. "That's it! I am not making any public appearances until it grows back!"

"Then can I be queen while we wait?" Anna said between stifled snickers.

"Forget about it." Elsa ran a hand through her hair. "This may be terrible but _that_ would be _tragic_."

"I could do a good job!"

"Well, in the meantime let's not find out okay?"

"Trust me your hair will be fine." Anna began to ruffle through a pile of hats. "You just need something too compliment it, something to help bring it out." She pulled out a large wide-brimmed hat. "Something to hide it completely." Anna sat the hat down on Elsa's head. It drooped down over her face. "Perfect!" Anna said.

Elsa pulled the hat off and cast it onto the ground. "I look stupid in that. I'll just have to live with myself like this for a few..._months_...until it grows back."

"You know," Anna said. "I think I saw an arctic fox yesterday. We could catch it and tie it to you head. Then you'd look just like you-" She was cut off when a flash of frost whizzed by her face.

"And Kristoff called _me_ feisty-pants," Anna said.

"You went too far with that one," Elsa said.

"That doesn't give you the right to just freeze my face."

"I missed didn't I?"

Anna gave Elsa a sideways glance. "Are you sure Dagon's powers are completely settled?"

"Yes. They've melded entirely with my own. I barely feel any different now than I did before."

"So you aren't going to freeze anything on accident?"

Elsa sighed. "No Anna, I won't."

Anna grabbed Elsa's hand and pulled her up. "Great! Then let's go into the town!"

Elsa sat back down. "I am _not_ going out in public like this."

"Come on! If we go to town we can go shopping and-"

"Why do you feel the need to shop?"

"I never got the chance to do it when I was a kid. Plus Kristoff hasn't had the time. And if we went together we could find some great hats!"

"Hats aren't me thing," Elsa said.

Anna's arms dropped to her side. She reached out and pointed to Elsa's hair. "Is that?"

Elsa took another look at herself in the mirror. "I'm sure we have plenty of hats in the castle somewhere."

"My sister, the agoraphobe."

"Anna why do you do this to me?"

Anna leaned in close. "It'll be fun! Come on! You know you wanna!"

Elsa gave up. "Fine! I'll go shopping with you. Just so long as you promise not to make a huge production out of the whole thing."

Anna tugged Elsa back out of the chair. "Don't worry, I'm an expert at keeping things under wraps."

"You couldn't keep a Christmas present under wraps."

Anna remained joyously unperturbed. "Sense of humor! That's a great first step."

"A first step to what?"

"Making a social life for yourself of course! You can't stay in here forever!" Anna began to lead her sister out of the room. "Can you clean up Gerda? thanks!"

"I appreciate that Anna but I don't need to have a social life," Elsa said.

"I thought you wanted to be open with the public. To keep the gates open and live close to the people. If you want to do that you need to know how to act!" Anna's feet more or less carried both of them down a hall towards their dressing room.

"I can act like myself," Elsa said. "And I _do_ want to be close to the people it's just that I don't care for mingling."

Anna laughed and opened the door into the dressing room. "So either you're agoraphobic, sociopathic, imperialistic, or seriously need my help."

"I hate it when you twist things around like that."

"Are you coming or not?" Anna ducked into the closet as soon as they made it to the dressing room.

"Yes Anna, I'm coming. But if you think that I need to be constantly romping amongst strangers to show that I don't have a phobia you'll get to be hard to live with."

"Don't worry. You just have to come with me this once and then you can go back to your skulking in the shadows."

"_Anna_."

"It's not me it's you."

"It's one hundred percent you. Just because I'm not the most social person on earth doesn't mean that I do nothing but skulk."

"Sure."

"I mean it Anna."

"Absolutely." Anna tossed a winter dress to Elsa. "Here."

Elsa held up the thick woolen garment. "What for?"

Anna paused and pulled her head out from the closet. "I guess that doesn't matter with you does it?"

Elsa grinned. "No. I can wear this dress all year. I'm completely winter-proof."

"Now I'm totally jealous.

Elsa ducked behind a curtain and began to change.

Anna stopped mid dress-swap. "What are you doing? I thought you were going to wear you ice-dress thing."

Elsa spoke from behind the curtain. "First off it isn't an 'ice-dress thing', it's a complex magical... alright, so I don't know exactly what it is. But second, if I go out like this I may as well wear a sign that says 'hey! I'm the queen!'."

"Don't you want recognition?"

"Not with me hair like this."

-x-X-x-

"_There's beauty and there's danger here!"_

"Get off the ice!"

Some of the men looked up but in those in the center of the lake slid their saws into the ice.

"_Split the ice apart!_"

_Crack._

The world stood still as the resounding noise split through the air. The ice buckled, letting out another crack. Across the ice men dropped their tools and ran for shore.

Kristoff sprang to his feet. "Mom! Dad!"

"Stay there Kristoff!" His mom ran across the ice, fighting past the people rushing in the opposite direction. Another crack exploded from the lake and the ice began to cave in. Dark water sloshed up between the frozen sheets. The men scrambled off the shifting ice. Kristoff fought to see what was going on as the harvesters began to run past him. When he was able to break through he saw the ice collapsing in the center of the lake. People fell in. His mom slid to a halt at the edge of the break. Around her the harvesters pulled themselves out of that water. His mom was shouting something.

Kristoff saw his dad burst out from the water and grab onto the ice. But as soon as he hauled himself out of the water the ice broke off, once again plunging him into the lake. Kristoff's mom jumped into the water after him.

"Mom! Dad!" Kristoff shouted again. Why wasn't anyone helping them? They were all just running. Kristoff strained to see the water, to try and see his parents.

There was a splash and his mom broke the surface. She had his dad in her arm. She fought to make it out of the water but plunged back under. A few seconds later they burst out again only to sink once more. Kristoff watched, eyes wide with panic as they dipped below the surface. They didn't come back up.

"No!" Kristoff started to run onto the lake but he stopped mid stride. The ice was cracked and glared up at him menacingly. He looked back to where his parents were. He had to get them. But he couldn't cross the ice. So instead he turned and ran. He felt a large, warm, nose bump up against him.

"Wha..?" Kristoff muttered. He felt another nudge and he opened his eyes. Sven stood next to him with his nose at Kristoff's side.

"You were having a nightmare." Kristoff mouthed the words for Sven.

"Thanks for waking me up." Kristoff drew his hands down his face. "Just give me a moment." He took a few deep breaths. _I haven't dreamed of that night in years._

Kristoff hands fell to his sides and he looked at Sven who, in turn, stared back.

"I'm fine now Sven."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I feel better now."

"Absolutely certain?"

"Of course."

"then..." Sven looked around and leaned in closer. "How about breakfast?"

Kristoff laughed. "In a little bit." He swung his legs over the edge of his bed and rose to his feet. He did a few stretches and began to wipe his hands off on his shirt. "I'm all sweaty," he said. "Which is weird considering the time of year."

Sven gave him a look.

Kristoff sighed. "Okay, so I got a little sweaty of a bad dream. Is that the worst thing in the world?" He gave himself a quick sniff. "I'd better get cleaned up."

"You're going to end up smelling anyway," Sven said.

"And whose fault is that?"

Sven looked hurt.

Kristoff walked over to the window and started to pull open the shade. "Now if you don't mind I'd like to get ready for this beautiful-afternoon." Kristoff stared out at the snow-covered courtyard.

Kristoff whipped around. "I'm going to be late! I _never _sleep in this late. C'mon Sven we have to hurry!"

"For what exactly?" Sven pointed out.

Kristoff stopped as he realized, almost as though the words hadn't come from his own mouth, that he actually _didn't_ have anything that he needed to do.

Kristoff had found over the past months that being official Arendelle Ice master and Deliverer entailed that his work was the same but there was less of it. Kristoff loved his work so this was as much a setback as a benefit. But the whole rigamarole came with free board at the Arendelle castle. They even threw in meals. It all added up to a well-to-do yet incredibly bored ice harvester. Before Kristoff had had a simple schedule; wake up, work to make a living, go to sleep. And of course family time. Now Kristoff had all this free time on his hands and family time was far from simple. He still loved the trolls but now he had a second home. One here with Anna and Elsa, and they more than made up for the attitude the guys up north gave him.

Sure he had been up to his ears in work for a few months after getting his new position. But over the last few day he had begun to find less and less that needed to get done. For the first time he could remember he had gotten up with absolutely no responsibilities. He wouldn't be heading up to start the ice harvesting for a few weeks at least and until then he had nothing that needed to get done.

"Why don't we freshen up. The day's a clean slate." Kristoff shrugged. "Afterward we can take over the world or something."

"Freshen up? You? That could take-"

"Please don't finish that Sven," Kristoff interrupted his own speech. "Let's just take a bath and wing it from there." Kristoff caught himself too late. He had verbally included Sven in the bath.

-x-X-x-

"Excuse me sir," a man said brushing past Elsa.

Elsa cringed but Anna jumped after the man.

"_Sir?_ For your information this is the quee-"

The man turned around and Elsa tugged Anna away. "Sorry about her," Elsa said. The man shrugged and turned back around.

As soon as he had Elsa glared at her sister. "I _told_ you that I didn't want to make a big production out of this!"

"But come on! He called you _sir_."

"It isn't the end of the world if he uses the wrong word."

"But you'd think that the dress at least would tip him off! or your-"

"_Were exactly did you say that hat shop was?_"

Anna elbowed Elsa. "Are we getting a little self-conscious about our-"

"_Anna_."

"Right the hat shop..." Anna looked around. "I think it's somewhere over here... Hey look!" She darted over to a store whose window held a beautiful blue dress.

"Must we get sidetracked?"

"Hey, not everyone can conjure up their clothes by magic." Anna looked back at Elsa. "Don't you think I'd look great in that?"

"It would clash with your hair."

"But in a good way right?" Anna opened the door and stepped inside.

Elsa glanced at a clock that was visible through the window and wondered briefly how by long exactly Anna was intending to get them sidetracked.

Two-thirds of a rotation of the larger hand later Anna was buried underneath a pile of clothes next to the shopkeeper who had a pleased look about her.

"Anna I don't think you need any more-"

"Can you hold this one for a second?"

Elsa grabbed the scarlet garment. "We have tailors. I doubt if you've seen the same dress twice as is. I don't see how you could possibly-"

"Ooh! Look at this one!"

"You aren't hearing a word I'm saying are you?"

"Hold these will you? I need to try this one on."

Elsa vision became completely obscured by cloth as her arms were filled. "Anna I thought we were coming to get some hats and then go back."

"We have to go beyond the pale every once and a while! Where's your sense of adventure Elsa?"

"I think I left it with the rest of my hair. Besides, I hardly think a dress shop counts as being beyond a pale of any stretch of the imagination."

Elsa heard a curtain being pulled. "How do I look?" came Anna's voice.

Elsa tried to look around the pile of fabric in her hands before giving up and dropping them. Anna was bedecked in a purple gown whose skirt was at least twice as big as Anna herself. It looked to be more ribbon than dress.

"It isn't you."

"Great! I'll take it!"

"Anna can you even hear what I'm saying?"

"Hey, did you see this one?"

"Anna?"

"I think you'd look great in this, if you ever wanted something other than that blue ice-dress. Say if you needed some more color. Then again I guess I could pull it off fairly well don't you-"

"Anna there is a walrus on your head."

"Elsa! Why did you drop these?" Anna scooped up the dresses from the floor.

"I think its laying eggs in your hair."

"Walruses don't lay eggs Elsa. That's just silly" Anna began to pile the dresses onto the counter.

The shopkeeper's smile was almost as big as the mound. "Would you be paying with-"

"Oh my goodness! Elsa look at this one!"

"Anna I've seen more than enough dresses today than I needed too."

Anna dropped the dresses she was holding and went over to one that hung on the wall. A relatively light dress it was white in color with light trimming around the sleeves and going down the front. Lovely as it was it was a far simpler garment than the others.

"It's gorgeous!" Anna said.

"Shall I add it to the rest of your purchase?" the shopkeeper asked.

"It's lovely Anna but don't you think we have enough?"

Anna picked up the dress and spun around with it. "Forget the others Elsa!"

"What?" the shopkeeper said.

"Put them back! This one's the one I want!"

The shopkeeper looked close to tears. "B-but what about all of these...?"

"Sorry," Elsa said. "But she can be awfully changeable sometimes."

"Pardon me sir?"

Elsa stiffened. "_Could you at least look at what I'm wearing before you assume what my gender is?_"

The shopkeeper flinched back. "Sorry, um ma'am? yes quite an accident- say you aren't one of those weird people I hear about who-"

"No! I'm just a girl with short hair! And don't call people weird just because of the way they choose to dress!"

"Wow," Anna said. "Nice explosion!"

Elsa shrank a little.

Anna made her purchase and skipped out of the store with Elsa. As they left the shopkeeper muttered something about politics.

"Would you just look at it! Wait until Kristoff sees me in this! Isn't it just the most-"

"Yes it is," Elsa said. "But I still would like to find that hat shop you mentioned."

"Of course," Anna said. "Over here." They started to walk. "Hey, did you notice that there was a lot of blue in there?"

"I wasn't really paying attention but now that you mention it I have been seeing a lot of recurring colors."

"And capes. Capes seem to be in."

"Yes, very interesting."

"More than one dress had a split down the skirt."

"Lots of people with exposed legs in the future yes."

"I saw all of those things being put together a lot."

"I'm not seeing the hat shop are you sure it's over here?"

"I think you've started a trend Elsa."

Elsa walked ahead of Anna but had they looked at each other Anna would have seen Elsa' cheeks flushing. "I'm sure it's just a coincidence."

They stopped when they came to a building that held a poster for an Elsa impression contest.

"Wow," Anna said. "I knew you were popular but I didn't know you were-not to say you aren't attractive. I mean, you beautiful and everything but I wouldn't think that-"

"Come on Anna." Elsa grabbed her hand and pulled them ahead.

"Whoa, what's the matter Elsa?"

Elsa kept on going, dragging Anna behind.

"Hey Elsa! Look!" Anna forced Elsa to a stop to point to a barber shop. It had five wigs in the window. More than one of them was made to look like Elsa's hair.

"See? This is the answer to the whole problem! You'll look just like you use to!"

"_Come. On. Anna._" Elsa grabbed her sister and tugged her along.

"What's wrong with you? You want your hair back don't you?"

"I don't want somebody else's hair!"

"Elsa! There's no need to get all worked up about-"

"Why does everyone want to look like me? I'm me! Isn't that enough? I'm my own person! When I chose to look like this I did it to show who I was and to set me apart! And now everyone's trying to copy my look!"

A man froze and stared at the short-haired woman. He hurriedly walked away muttering "I wouldn't want to look like her."

-x-X-x-

Above the city of Arendelle lay a veritable forest of mountains. They rolled off each other and stretched out for miles. Atop one of these a figure made hir way across the peaks. Sie looked down from the mist heights and down to the bustling city below.

"Arendelle," Zsaid. "It's been a long time."


	3. Two in the Tub

**A/N** So something exciting happened this week. Disney released teaser images for the upcoming animated short, _Frozen Fever. _Despite my general over-analyzing of them I'm not going to pretend that my story won't have any inconsistencies with it. And since I don't really want to postpone my story until it comes out we can just say this takes place in a alternate universe were _Frozen Fever_ never happened.

* * *

><p>Kristoff woke up. He was laying on the ground with a coat wrapped around his shoulders. A coat that was not his own. He sat up and looked around. His head barely even had to turn before he saw a girl sitting next to him. She had short brown hair and looked to be at least twice his own age.<p>

"Who are you?" Kristoff said not sure if he should be frightened or not.

The girl smiled. "It's alright, I'm a friend."

Kristoff's eyes darted around. "What happ-" he didn't get a chance to finish before it all came rushing back to him. He let out a scream and yanked to coat tried to get to his feet. Before he could figure out what way to run he felt the warm arms wrap around him again.

"Don't worry," the girl said. "I saw everything. You need to stay here. We can figure things out."

Kristoff fought vainly against her hold for a moment before giving up. He started to cry.

The girl pulled one arm away and it came back with a carrot. "I'm sorry this is all I can spare right now."

Kristoff was barely aware that he took the carrot from he and began to eat it. He didn't taste it he chewed and he didn't feel it when he swallowed. But he stood there eating it with his eyes puffy and tears running down his cheeks. He ate it with his nose dripping and the girl holding him supportively. He couldn't taste it but as he ate his stomach stopped feeling as hollow and he felt his strength come back. He put this strength into more tears and louder wails but as soon as the carrot ended another took its place. Then bread, then fish. He made his way up to a slice of cheese before he pushed the girl's hand away. When he did she slipped the cheese into a sack and returned the arm around him. She rested her cheek against his head.

"Are you feeling better?"

"No," Kristoff said although the river tears of had slowed down. They sat there for several minutes before Kristoff let out his last sniffle and she loosened her hold on him.

"Now are we alright?"

Kristoff nodded. He still wanted to cry but his eyes had run dry. "What's your name?" he said.

The girl gave him a smile. "Mine's Telka. What's yours?"

"Kristoff," he said.

"Kristoff," she said. "We're going to need to figure out what to do."

"I want to see mom and dad," Kristoff said.

"I'm sorry. But you can't. Don't you understand that?"

Kristoff nodded. "Yes. When are they coming back?"

Telka's eyes became watery. "Kristoff..."

Kristoff looked at her.

"Kristoff, they aren't coming back." Her arms returned around him. She gave him a gentle hug while he stood there. Not crying, just standing.

They remained unmoving and unaware of time's passing. The sun barely poked through the trees leaving them with no idea as to how long they stayed there. But as they did, neither of them cared. The silence was finally broken when Telka slowly turned Kristoff around and looked him in the eye.

"Kristoff, do you have any other family members?"

Kristoff nodded.

"Who?"

"Mom and Dad," Kristoff said.

Telka's hands slipped slightly from his shoulders before returning to their spot. "Other than them. Do you have any family other than you parents?"

"No," Kristoff said.

Telka looked down at him for several moments before continuing. "Do you have any friends?"

Kristoff ducked his gaze. "Just mom and dad."

"Do you know anyone else? Any of the ice harvesters?"

Kristoff shook his head.

"You have to think Kristoff. Where can you stay tonight?"

"Here," Kristoff said. "I can stay here."

"You can't stay here Kristoff."

"Yes I can."

Telka remained silent. "You don't know anyone?" she said finally.

"I know you now."

Telka looked backwards. "I guess you'll have to come back with me."

"Back where?"

Her gaze returned to Kristoff. "Back to my home. Across the mountains. It won't be an easy journey for you but we don't have another-"

"No."

"What?"

"I'm not leaving here."

Telka shook Kristoff's shoulders. "Kristoff you _have _to!"

Kristoff shook his head. "I'm not leaving my parents."

"If I have to carry you I will."

"No!"

Telka grabbed him and began to drag him across the ground.

"Let go of me!"

"No. You have to come with me." She struggled with him until he wriggled loose and ran a few feet away.

"I don't want to leave."

"If you stay here what are you going to eat?"

Kristoff didn't reply.

"Come on Kristoff. You have to go home with me. You don't have anywhere else." When Kristoff didn't move Telka went over to him and tried to grab him. As soon as she got close he darted away.

"Darn it Kristoff! You could _die_ if you don't come with me!"

"I don't want to go with you," Kristoff said.

Telka looked at him with a distraught expression. "Fine," she said. She picked up her bag and handed it to Kristoff. "Take this."

"Why?"

"It has food, clothes, and some other things. I have to go. Take these I'll come back as soon as I can."

Kristoff reached out and grabbed the bag.

"Eat the food slowly, try to make it last. Above all, _stay here_. I need to be able to find you when I come back."

Kristoff nodded. Telka took a step closer to him. He stayed put and Telka closed the last of the distance and hugged him. "I'll go fast." With that she turned and ran off.

-x-X-x-

"Here it is!" Anna waved a hand at a small green and red shop whose windows were filled with hats. They had made their way to the edge of town where he crowd was thinner and the builders looked a bit more run-down. The little hat shop added a splash of color to the otherwise plain-looking street. The shop itself bore the name "Hatter".

"Hatter?" Elsa asked.

"The owner's name."

"Talk about someone meant for their job."

"This business is their life."

Elsa laughed. "Try not to wreck it then."

Anna climbed up the steps to the door. "Hey, I don't wreck things."

Elsa didn't respond. Rather she let Anna to walk in and waited for the crash and the "oops! sorry!" After which she walked inside it herself, stepping carefully around the pile of toppled hats .

The inside was populated by a group of girls giggling and gossiping to each other, occasionally making fun of someone named Sophie. Elsa tried to slip along the sidelines and avoid the group altogether. She stopped when she came across a small, dark-blue, knitted hat. She picked it up and looked it over. She lifted it up and was about to pull it over her ears when her head was consumed by a hat larger than she was.

"What the-?" Elsa stumbled back, trying to fight her way out. When she finally was able to yank off the large yellow tent she whipped around to see Anna wearing a hat that appeared to have an entire bird and a pair of cannons on it.

"You should keep that hat," Anna said pointing at the atrocity that had rested on Elsa's head. "It's you."

"I'm not sure this is even a hat! It has to be some kind of tent or something."

"I thought you wanted to look different."

"I want to look like _me_. Not like a mushroom."

"What about this one?" Anna twirled to show off the hat she wore.

"Don't put that on your head. I'm not sure it's even dead yet."

Anna laughed and put an arm around her sister's shoulder. "You're doing great!" she said.

Elsa had no idea what Anna was talking about but she knew it couldn't be good. "What am I even doing?"

"Acting like a normal person!"

"What would make you think I'm anything but?"

"The whole ice magic thing. Come on, you're on a roll! Let's go talk to those girls over there!"

Elsa took a step back when Anna tried to tug her towards that giggling mass before them.

"Let's not, okay?"

"Don't be such spoil-sport. What could go wrong?"

"They might be contagious."

"If you're luck you'll catch it."

"I'm beginning to seriously question the choices in life that I've made leading up to this point."

Anna began to push Elsa forward. "Just smile and say something."

Elsa tried to dig her heals into the ground. It would have been easier in the floor hadn't been polished hardwood. "Don't do this to me Anna!"

"It'll be fun! Don't worry, it'll be fun!" Anna gave one last shove forcing Elsa up to the gaggle before them.

"Hi," Elsa said with a slight motion of her hand which might conceivably be interpreted as a wave.

The girls paused mid-sentence to look at the newcomer. Elsa started to wish she had put on that hat she'd found when they burst out laughing.

-x-X-x-

Sharing a tub with a reindeer is weird at best. But when one is sitting in the bath which is filled with warm, sudsy, water and across from you there is a reindeer who's sitting and looking you straight in the eye and you've got something that was bizarre even by Kristoff's standards. In the past when bathing entailed a bucket of water, a cloth, and soap if that week's income permitted, it was east to avoid such circumstances. But since he'd been staying at the palace he woke every day to find a tub of steaming water waiting for him (he had since decided to avoid thinking as to _why_ this was). And the tub of water led to the reindeer who was staring back at him.

The whole tub-of-warm-and-sudsy-water-waiting-for-you thing had taken a while to get used to. Not the actual concept of a bath but rather the bit about being served. That was one thing about the palace, there was always someone trying to do something for you. Kristoff supposed it was flattering to think that _he_ of all people would get such attention. But as a whole he wasn't sure he liked the idea. Roughing it in the cold as an ice harvester didn't leave much room for pampering. Of course he could never let the other ice harvesters know about any of this. They'd lay it on him for getting soft in a second. He had learned it paid to talk gruffly and walk clumpily. The trolls said that behaving like that was the root of his social impairment but Kristoff had always tried to avoid any sort of socialization with humans anyway.

Having finished his daily routine of thinking such things Kristoff got up and stepped out of the tub. He grabbed a towel that was much softer than anything he had know for the first twenty-one and a half years of his life and began to dry off.

"Things sure have changed since we met Anna haven't they?" he said. "I guess people aren't so bad as I thought."

"Almost as good as reindeer aren't they?" Sven said.

Kristoff finished toweling himself off and looked at Sven. He proceeded with caution. "Yes Sven. almost as good as reindeer."

Sven clambered out of tub and stood dripping with all four legs spread out.

Kristoff took a step back. "Wait a minute Sven. Let me-"

Sven shook himself sending reindeer-scented spray flying.

-x-X-x-

Kristoff mopped up the floor with a rag he found. Off to the side Sven stood at the door and kept looking between Kristoff and out the door. After a few minute of this Kristoff sighed.

"Alright Sven. You can leave. I can finish up here."

Sven didn't wait a second to prance out the door. Kristoff leaned out the door and called after him.

"Just stay out of trouble!" But as he saw Olaf walk out into the hall and Sven and he run off together he couldn't help but feel his warning had fallen onto deaf ears. Besides, snowmen don't have ears.

-x-X-x-

"Anna, I want you to ask next time before you humiliate me in public."

"At least they liked your hair. That's good, right?"

"They liked it at my expense yes."

"Maybe this is the start of a new trend for you. What with all those jokes you've been coming up with. Maybe all this time you were always meant to be a comedian."

"Anna if you ever try anything like that again I'm going to try you for treason."

"We should do this again sometime."

"Anna I am not stepping foot outside the gates until my hair grows back."

Anna looked at her sister. The hat that was pulled over her head did a good job at hiding her hair but did little to hide the lack of it. "Do you have any idea how long that will take?"

Elsa shrugged. "I only ever had my hair cut short once before."

Anna smiled. "That's right. Back when we were kids right?"

"You cost us both our desserts for a month."

"It was your idea I recall."

"That's what cost me my weekends for a month."

"You should have thought things through better I guess."

"You were the one who held the scissors."

"Your ear got in the way."

"That cost you _your_ weekends for a month."

"Streaking hair bright colors could become fashionable someday."

"We were too busy screaming to think about style."

Anna sighed. "Fun times."

"What, Might I ask, is fun about bleeding?"

"Comparatively speaking it isn't that bad. I had to spend thirteen years dying of boredom."

"I spent the same time dreading every moment's passing."

"Why do you always have to trump me?"

Elsa shrugged. "I've just been through more than you."

"Ha! _Anyone_ would have been through more than me. That's the whole problem."

They made their way back into the courtyard. "Okay Anna, we got what we went to get. Why don't you do show Kristoff that dress you got and I can get back to being queen."

Anna started to dash off but stopped and walked away backwards facing Elsa. "Could we do something later on today?"

"Sorry Anna. I'm kind of booked."

"You can do anything you want! How could you be booked?"

"Being queen is more than just getting your way all the time. Be glad you don't have to do anything."

"Oh sure. I'm _really_ glad I don't have anything to do."

"I'm going now Anna."

"See you whenever you come out of that hole."

"Bye, Anna."

There was a loud crash from above them and Olaf's head fell out of an upper window. Elsa dove to catch hm.

"Hi," Olaf said. "Did you know that you should _never_ ride a bike indoors while carrying a stack of pies?"

Elsa cringed and a blob of a cloudberry filling fell from the window and into the snow, closely followed by a nice-looking vase that probably used to be in more than one piece.

"Where's the rest of you, Olaf?" Elsa said.

Olaf's face scrunched up for a moment. "Somewhere running around amongst rubble."

Elsa gave Anna a pleading look. "Can you check this out for me?"

Anna took a cautious step back. "He's your snowman."

"He's all of our responsibilities. I _really_ need to get my work done."

"I'll go and get Gerda. She can do it."

"Anna, Gerda's as busy as I am. You said you were bored."

Anna reluctantly reached out her hands and Elsa placed Olaf's head in her them.

"Thanksabunch," Elsa said and darted off.

Anna looked down at Olaf.

"I think I just sat in a pie."

"Right," Anna said. "Let's find Kristoff."

"You didn't just _lie_ to Elsa did you?"

"No. I just want to find Kristoff first."

Olaf cringed. "_Ooh _that had to hurt."

"I'll find him really fast." Anna dashed off to try and find Kristoff. She found him in the bathroom cleaning the floor.

"Hey," she said. Holding Olaf's head behind her back.

"Good morning," Kristoff said. He stood up and tossed the rag he had been holding into a nearby bucket.

"Cleaning?"

Kristoff smiled. "Sven and baths don't mix."

Anna began to teeter on her heels. "So do you like cleaning?"

"I've done harder work. But I wouldn't want to do it all day or anything. I think I filled my quota for the time being."

"Are you sure?"

Kristoff looked at her. "Why do you say that?"

"I don't know you just kind of looked like the type who might enjoy cleaning. Say for the sake of the argument, if there was a huge mess somewhere..."

Kristoff crossed his arms. "What are you getting at exactly?"

"That's a really nice wall," came a voice from behind her.

"Right!" Anna pulled Olaf from behind her. "Kristoff Olaf made a mess-"

"My butt did most of it."

"-Okay, I don't want to know how your butt is different than you. Anyway, could you help me clean it?"

"Sure," Kristoff said eager to change the subject. "I didn't have any plans."

"Alright then," Anna held up Olaf's head. "Where's the rest of you exactly?"

"I _think_ I'm in a chimney. I feel all sooty. No wait, I'm caught in a tapestry somewhere."

Anna winced.


	4. Oscar Did It

**A/N: **This chapter has been updated from original publication. I fixed some grammatical errors.

**A/N** This is the first chapter in which I make heavy references to my previous story, _Those We Protect_.

* * *

><p>Fast she went but it still wasn't until four days later that Telka returned. But when she did Kristoff was waiting for her like she told him to.<p>

"Are you alright Kristoff?" Telka asked as soon as she saw him.

Kristoff was laying curled up on the ground and looked up at her. Telka immediately swooped down and pulled out a bag of food. Kristoff didn't wait for her to give him anything before grabbing the first thing he saw and taking a bite out of it.

"How long have you been without food?" Telka asked.

"Forever!" Kristoff said.

Telka muttered an apology and handed him the bag. Kristoff wouldn't dedicate himself to proper conversing until he had filled his stomach.

"You won't have to hungry again," Telka said. "You can come back with me."

"I'm not leaving," Kristoff said.

"Kristoff you _have _ to_._ You can't survive on your own."

"Yes I can," Kristoff said.

Telka was at a loss. Her only hope had been that after her being gone for four days he would readily go back with her. But her seemed determined to stay here in the woods where wolves or bears could get him. Where food was scarce at best. He was a _baby_. There was no way he could survive on his own.

So Telka begged him, ordered him, and more than once tried to force him, to come back. When he refused she tried to find another place for him to stay. But she failed to find any manner of home at all in the area. Kristoff wouldn't let them go anywhere near the lake and she couldn't find any signs of civilization. With nothing else she could do she left him the food and went back by herself. The next time she came back hoping he would finally see reason but he stubbornly continued to refuse. The only ray of hope was that the air was becoming warmer and the snow had melted.

When Telka finally gave in completely she began to focus her energy on teaching him how to survive instead. She showed him what sort of plants he could eat, and which he definitely _couldn't_. She helped him as much as she could over the few days she could stay and every time she left she feared he might be there when she returned. But each week when she came back he was always there and in one piece.

"How old are you?" he asked one day as they sat be a stream.

Telka looked up from fishing pole she was trying to make. "Almost nine."

"You sure seem to know a lot."

"And you're a fast learner. Smarter than a lot of the grown-ups I know. Definitely better than those princesses."

This peeked Kristoff's interest. "Princesses?"

"A pair of ragamuffins who live in the castle."

"C_astle?_ Where do you live?"

Telka looked surprised. "You don't know about the castle?"

Kristoff shook his head.

Telka pointed in the direction of the mountains that were visible the break in the trees. "Just over those mountains in Arendelle's capitol."

"What's a capitol? And an Arendelle?"

Telka laughed. "You never heard of Arendelle?"

"Well, what is it?"

Telka gestured around them. "_This_ is Arendelle. It's the name of the kingdom we live in. The capitol is the largest town. It's also where the king and queen are."

"King and queen? Have you _seen _them?"

"Only a once or twice. My mother is one of the princesses' nannies so I get to go into the castle sometimes."

"Doesn't your mom miss you while you're away?"s

Telka gave half a smile. "My mom works five day at a time. She isn't home most of the time."

"What about your dad?" Kristoff's eyes fell onto the water.

Telka cast her gaze into the flowing water. "Dad never notice's if I'm gone. He spends all of his time locked in his room talking to himself about weird things. . Every now and then he notices us. But Mostly he reads old books or wonders around at night. One day, after grandma died, I decided to find my way across the mountains. I saw the ice harvesters and decided I want to come back and watch them again. So I did. Then, a few weeks ago, I met you."

Kristoff looked up at Telka. "You had a grandma?"

Telka dipped a hand into the water."Yes. She died of the plague this winter."

Kristoff sat up. "Plague?"

"Yes. A lot of people were getting sick. They coughed and couldn't move around."

"Oh."

Telka looked up at him. "It's alright. No one's sick anymore."

"Telka?"

"Yes?"

"Can you teach me to fish?"

"Of course I can."

-x-X-x-

Elsa took a sip of her tea and set down the cup. She picked up her pen and was about to bring it onto the paper when she heard a bang above her. She tried her best to ignore it and began to write. She really needed to get this done. Another bang came along with what sounded like an "ow!" Elsa cast her gaze up at the ceiling and heard a crash.

"Sorry Anna," she said. She looked back down at the paper and kept going, zoning out the proceeding clatters. She wondered if anything was getting cleaner up there.

-x-X-x-

Clean was a state that seemed unreachable. Most of their time was spent catching Olaf's torso and getting Sven down from the chandelier. In fact Elsa had finished her work before they had. Once done she had gone up to check on them. When she did she found the hallway to by much a wreck with Anna, Kristoff, Sven sprawled out on the floor. Olaf, meanwhile, was hanging from a tapestry that had somehow gotten itself attached to the ceiling.

"How goes... things?" Elsa said.

"It's hopeless," Anna said.

Elsa looked around at the wreckage. "Did Olaf really do all this?"

Kristoff raised one hand. "We did, mostly."

"I thought the idea had been to clean up. What happened?"

Kristoff's arm flopped down. "Anna thought of a shortcut."

Elsa winced. "What did it entail?"

"Which one?"

Elsa sighed. "And somehow this amounted to being easier than cleaning?"

"Hey!" Anna said. "I didn't see you helping us."

"Anna I told I had work that needed to get done."

"Did you have to deal with that boorish council again?"

"Luckily not today. Besides Anna you shouldn't call them that. They aren't boorish. Not all of them anyway."

Anna pulled herself into a sitting position. She seemed to have a pie atop her head. "Why don't you just fire the lot of them?"

"Most of them have been working since before my coronation. I just expanded it. I don't think it would be my place to fire them."

"You're the queen. You can do whatever you want."

"That doesn't mean that I should."

Anna flopped back down. "If that one kid makes another pass at me I'm going to punch him in his sorry little nose. I may punch him anyway."

"Maybe Karl was a bad choice. But he knows his work."

"I say we sack him."

Elsa decided it best they change the subject. "This place has to get cleaned... and repaired. And I think we had better get started."

"Elsa I'm telling you, that's what the staff is for."

Kristoff hauled himself up. "Come on Anna. Ice harvesters have to work all day."

"Exactly why I'm not an ice harvester."

"Come one Anna, we all have to do our parts," Elsa said.

"Fine. But tomorrow I get to do something more entertaining."

"It's a deal."

Anna got up but as soon as she did her head met with a large ball of snow.

"Oops. Dropped my butt."

-x-X-x-

"You wait her okay?" Dagon said.

"Okay," Kaja said. "But you better not take all day."

"You can look in the hat shop if you want. But don't wander off. I'll only be a minute."

"Hats are boring."

Dagon patted his kid sister on the head. "Sorry but you're just going to have to be bored for a little bit."

Kaja looked up at him with her good eye. "Build a snowman later?"

Dagon smiled. "Build a snowman later."

"Or a snowwoman."

"Sounds good." Dagon let go of her hand and strode across the street to the inn that sat across from them. He opened the door and walked in.

Kaja stood waiting occasionally kicking a pile of snow.

"What are you doing here all by yourself?" came a voice.

Kaja jumped and looked around until she saw the cloaked figure standing beside her. A hood hid the person's face. Kaja took a step back. "I'm waiting for my brother."

"Where is your brother?"

Kaja pointed at the inn with her ring finger. Both of her first two fingers were missing. "He's in there."

The stranger glanced up at the building. "You be careful. It could be dangerous for you to be all by yourself."

Kaja nodded not taking her eye off the figure. Sie turned around and walked over to the inn and went inside.

-x-X-x-

Dagon walked inside. A pair of men waited for him inside. Behind the bar a man with a large mustache gave Dagon a smile. Dagon nodded in return. He sat down next to the men.

"How have things been going?"

"The same," one of the men, Bron he went by, said. "Oscar got himself arrested a few days ago."

Dagon sighed. "Have you been able to make ends meet?"

"Mostly," said another man who still went by Tusk. Dagon had tried to get him to use his real name after the disbanding of the Army of the Wastes but Tusk had said he never liked his name much.

"What did Oscar do?"

"Stole something. For fun probably"

"What, exactly?"

"Money. Somebody's purse found its way into his hands and he didn't give it back."

"Found its way?"

Tusk glanced down. "Not on accident. He got caught."

Dagon drummed his fingers on the table. The Mustached man offered him a mug of beer like he always did and Dagon, as always, refused. "And you say Oscar didn't need the money?"

Bron nodded. He slipped a coin onto the counter and took the mug Dagon had turned down. "Look Dagon, some people just can't change."

Dagon sighed. "You're right." He glanced up to the gauntlet that hung from the wall. The only part of Snake, former leader of the Army of the Wastes, that they had been able to salvage from the fire. Dagon had asked it to be hung on that wall to remind the men of what happened when one goes astray.

"I just wish they could see. Know what happens. They hurt themselves as much as anyone else."

The door swung open a person stepped inside, walking slowly towards the counter. Sie wore a threadbare cloak with a hood pulled over Hirs face. Hir hood tilted towards Dagon as though sie was examining him. Dagon shifted uncomfortable and resisted the urge to raise his hand and cover the scar on his face. After a moment the figure looked up at the mustached man.

"I'd like to stay here for a while," sie said. Their voice was that of a deep woman's or a high man's.

Bron spoke up. "It's mostly people like us who stay here. People who are lowlifes for all practical purposes."

"You aren't lowlifes," Dagon said. "You're people."

"Sounds like my kind of place," the stranger said with the merest hint of a laugh.

The mustached man tossed a key onto the table. "Upstairs. End of the hall. Payment in advance."

The stranger picked up a key. "You stay here?" sie set a coin onto the counter.

It took Dagon a minute to realize they had directed it at him. "No," he said. "I just like to check up on these guys ever now and then."

The stranger walked to the staircase. "You really shouldn't leave your sister out there all alone like that."

Dagon's eye twitched and he stood up. "I'd better get going." He started to walk outside.

"Hey Dagon," Tusk said.

Dagon turned.

"Good luck with tomorrow."

Dagon smiled. "With luck I won't need any."

"Watch out for the stoic one named Gunnar, he'll try to get you hanged as soon as look at you."

"I'll be careful," Dagon said.

-x-X-x-

"I think we made a dent in it," Elsa said.

Anna was panting in what Elsa suspected was supposed to be an exhausted act.

"Can we stop now?" Anna said.

"We had better," Elsa said. "We won't be able to do much if we're tired."

"We seriously need to increase the staff," Anna flopped down in a chair and blew a lock of hair from her face.

"We are Anna. We have been."

Kristoff leaned a mop against the wall. "A little work is healthy," he said.

"I'm not sure if I can stand all of this health."

Kristoff sat down next to Anna. "Where did Olaf get off too?"

Elsa kept one eye on their hands. "I had one of the guards take him away to keep him busy."

Kristoff laughed. "It looks like Sven's ready to crash right here." The reindeer lay sprawled out on the floor.

Maybe Elsa imagined it. But maybe Anna glanced at Kristoff out of the corner of her eye.

"We'd better get some sleep ourselves," Anna said.

Elsa quickly pondered the options. Option one was that Anna must be truly exhausted. The last time she had _wanted_ to go to sleep was when they stayed up past midnight looking for Olaf (Elsa could have sworn she'd blocked off that hole). The other option was that she hadn't imagined the coy little glance out of the corner of Anna's eye. No sense in taking the risk.

"Here I can help you," Elsa said. She grabbed her sister's hand and tugged her down the hall.

"Elsa what are you doing?"

"You looked tired. I figured that you might need help getting back to your room where you can go straight to sleep."

"Elsa I can get there by myself just fine." Anna pulled her hand free.

Elsa stepped behind her and gave a little push. "Go ahead then Anna."

"Elsa why are you acting so weird?"

"I'm not acting weird. It's just that we have a big day tomorrow."

"We do?"

"Yes. We're finally getting to Jacob and Dagon's hearing." Elsa gave Anna another small push.

Anna stepped away for Elsa. "For what?"

Elsa raised her hands. "For everything that they did. Remember? The reason I had to get my hair cut?"

"I remember. But that happened, like, a month ago."

"Amazing isn't it? I didn't think we'd be able to get to it so soon."

Anna laughed. "This is why I could never be queen. It's so _boring_. But with you busy with that it looks like my day will be just as boring."

"Don't worry Anna. I know you'll find something to occupy your time with."

Anna's eyes brightened. "Kristoff said he didn't have anything to do tomorrow either. It would be a great opportunity to spend time with him."

"I may have something else planned," Elsa said.

"Is it fun?"

"That depends on you."

Anna started to walk. "I wish you'd just tell me for once."

"Then it would ruin the surprise."

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night Anna."

Elsa turned around and walked back to the disaster zone. Kristoff and Sven had gone and the hall was empty. She walked through a door to find Olaf. Once she had relived the guard of him she made her way back to her room. She wondered what it was Olaf _did_ at night. She'd never seen him sleep and wasn't sure he had to. But she was too tired at the time to think about it. She needed a bath and then sleep. She would need to be on top of her game tomorrow.

-x-X-x-

Maybe Sven imagined it, or Anna just glanced at Kristoff out of the corner of her eye. With some effort he lifted himself off the ground. Elsa dragged Anna off and Sven clomped over to Kristoff. He reached forwards and grabbed his sleeve in his teeth.

"What are you doing Sven?" Kristoff asked.

Sven began to tug Kristoff and he got up.

"Where are we going?"

Sven kept tugging him along towards their room.

Kristoff laughed. "Sven I know the way to get here."

_You miss the point, _Sven thought. _It's _that_ you get here._

Kristoff pulled himself loose and walked into the room. Once the door was closed Sven sat in front of it. He didn't move until morning.

-x-X-x-

Elsa looked at herself in the mirror. Her hand drifter to her shoulder where the flesh was blackened and uneven. It was healing well enough but as she gave it a gentle rub she felt a the pain return to her. After a moment she leaned closer to the mirror and turned her head slightly. The scar on her cheek was still definitely there. Faded but still there. For all her magic sometimes Elsa wished she could just wish away injuries. But flesh will heal at its own rate. And hair will grow back. Looking at herself she barely recognized her own face. She ran a hand down her hair. It was an incredibly short action. She sighed and stepped away from the mirror. She walked to the tub and dipped an experimental finger into the water. She flinched back and waved her hand over it. She mixed in just a touch of her power until the water was at a more suitable temperature. After which she climbed in and let her concerns soak away.

Except for her hair. That one wouldn't leave.

-x-X-x-

The problem with being named Gabriel is that people call you Gabe. Gabriel suspected that had something to do with the fact he preferred his own company. But all the same, this was ridiculous. Having to keep up with a hyperactive snowman was one thing But having to do so on eight hours of work _then_ having to keep up with a hyperactive snowman, and _then_ having to go _back_ to work seemed like a lot to expect from a poor, helpless, little flouriest who got himself a job in the palace.

Or at least a flouriest who was forced out of boyhood and really needed a change of scenery. Playing the flute only went so far entertainment-wise. But there was a problem do to the utter lack of scenery changes that occur when one is a palace guard. The job involves a lot of standing in one place for a very long time. Gabriel supposed that made the job easy, and standing still and acting like a stool was one thing he excelled at, but one can only stand for so long before one gets tired.

And if one has spent eight hours standing, followed by three more wrangling a snowman, followed by three more standing some more made for fourteen hours of tiring work. Admittedly it was kind of nice to be watching the entryway for a change of pace but if that darn replacement didn't show up soon he would definitely... glare inwardly at him. Gabriel recalled his replacement was a much larger an than himself.

Gabriele's legs were really starting to feel sore so he leaned back against the wall. Just to rest a little. It's not like anyone would sneak in or anything. Even if someone did his leaning back would reduce his reaction time by much. Gabriel took a breath. Just relaxing a little would improve his capability as a whole anyway. Plus it wasn't like he was going to fall asleep or anything. Just prolong his blinks a little. Maybe move over to that chair over there. The palace sure was luxurious. And the chairs sure were comfortable. Yes, they really where... very... comfort-

Regrettably his prolonged blinking made it so he wasn't able to see the person carrying and empty sack come from outside an sneak past him. So prolonged was his blink, in fact, that he failed also so see the same person sneak back out the other way with a sack that was considerably less empty.


	5. Return

**A/N****:** Apologies for missing an update. Stomach bugs aren't fun.

In other news, there is some! A trailer for _Frozen Fever _has been released! Much over-analysis is in process. Current verdict: possible inconsistencies. Those snow-babies could be a problem...

* * *

><p>Telka slowly opened the door and slipped inside. She walked slowly across the room and peered through the next doorway and into the kitchen.<p>

Empty.

Not lingering long enough to examine anything else she made her way to the her parent's bedroom. Again, no one was inside. Continuing on less carefully she began checking in the remaining rooms. All of them were empty. Her mom hadn't come back yet. There was only one room left to look in. But she knew she'd only find her dad in it. All the same she should check on him to make sure he was alright. She went to the study door and gently tapped on it with her knuckles. She waited a moment but there was no reply from the other side. She rapped on it again and this time she heard a shuffle from the other side and a mumbling voice. There was some more shuffling and the sound of books being tossed onto a the table. After a few moments Telka realized the shuffling wasn't coming any closer to the door. Not like she should be overly surprised. She reached for the doorknob and turned it. She pushed the door open and peered inside.

"Dad?"

Her dad looked up from his desk. He had heavy bags under his eyes, both of which were bloodshot. His clothes were ill-fitting and didn't appear to have been put on properly.

"Telka," he said. "It seems like I haven't seen you lately. Have you gone anywhere?"

Telka took a step inside. "Maybe here and there a little," she said.

Her dad looked back down at his desk and began to shuffle through a stack of papers that where covered with his jittery handwriting.

"Has your mom returned yet?"

"No. Not yet."

"It seems so random sometimes when it is she decides to come back."

"After five days, dad. She leaves for five days and comes back for two."

"I thought it was something like that." He grabbed his spectacles and slid them onto his nose. He arranged an ink well on his desk and patted his hands on the table until he found a semi-blank sheet of paper. He opened one of the books and examined one of the pages. He dipped a pen into the ink and began to scribble on the paper. He muttered under his breath as he did. Sentences that seemed to be said frequently in his murmurings where "it all fits", "this was foretold a hundred years ago", and "magic. It's real. Why don't people see that?"

Telka watched him for a little while before speaking up. "Would you like anything to eat?" She felt a twinge of guilt. She had no idea if he was even able to eat when she was gone.

He looked up from the paper. "Telka. It seems like I haven't seen you in a while." He put a finger to his lip. "Or, have I? Time seems so hard to keep track of sometimes. It's always changing."

"Would you like something to eat?"

He went back to scribbling. "Yes, yes. I am very hungry."

Telka took a step back and left the room. Then she made her way to the kitchen. All of the cupboards were open and various items were strewn across the table. So he had eaten. At least more than likely he had. She rolled up her sleeves and set to work straitening things up. He wouldn't notice the extra time it took her. He may not even remember he had asked for food when she returned.

-x-X-x-

Elsa heard a knock at her door. Her eyes blinked open.

"Yes, what is it?"

"It just was checking on you," came Gerda's voice.

Elsa sat up. "Checking on me? You haven't done that in years."

"Well," came the voice, "I sort of wanted to make sure you were awake."

Elsa gave half a laugh. "Awake? Gerda I haven't had trouble getting up on time since-" her eyes fell on the clock. "-today."

She leapt out of her bed and quickly changed into her ice dress. It took all of a second. _This dress makes _everything_ easier._

After hearing a good deal of commotion from within Gerda was about to tap on the door again when it swung open and Elsa dove passed her.

"Sorry!" she called.

"Just hurry," Gerda said.

Elsa dashed down the hall and nearly crashed into more than one guard. One of them looked unusually sleepy. Poor guy probably had to stay awake all night. As she made her way through the halls she spotted Olaf. He appeared to be wearing an apron and held a plate of steaming something.

"Hey Elsa! I made you your break-"

"No time," Elsa said running passed him.

"A hot breakfast is crucial to start your day!"

Elsa kept going. To be honest she didn't even feel hungry.

As she approached the council room the number of guards around her increased. When she reached the room just outside where the council was meeting she saw Anna waiting for her.

"What are you doing up?" Elsa said.

"Me? Even I don't sleep this late."

"Naturally," Elsa said. "Are all the council members here?"

"Only a few of them."

"Dagon and Jacob?"

"They're bring them in."

"And how is it that you know all this?"

"One of us has to be responsible."

"Har-har Anna." Elsa walked to the large double-door.

"Elsa wait!" Anna said.

Elsa turned back around.

"Your hair!"

Elsa reached a hand back but her fingers clenched before they reached their destination. "Not funny Anna."

Anna let out a laugh. "Yes it is. It's important to go in there with good humor."

"I always considered myself to be a bit of a comedian," came a voice from behind them.

Anna went completely stiff.

"I think we could really get along," the councilman continued as he walked up to them.

"Aren't you a little late, Karl?" Elsa said forcing a civil tone.

Karl shrugged. "No more than half the others." He turned to Anna. "Hey, I don't suppose that you-"

"No," Anna said.

Karl smiled. "But princess I-"

"No."

"You didn't even let me fin-"

"One way or another my answer is still no."

"Anna, don't be so impolite. At least let me-"

"No."

Karl sighed. "Anna you really aren't being-"

"No."

Elsa planted her hand onto Karl's shoulder. "Come one Karl. You wouldn't want to be even more late would you?"

Karl mumbled something before saying, "no I wouldn't." He walked to the doors and opened them.

"Can we fire him?" Anna said.

"Anna..."

"Please?"

"Maybe later."

"I guess I'll have to take that."

"Wish me luck," Elsa said.

"I don't see why you'd be the one who needs luck."

"Trust me. I do." Elsa walked into the council room. She made her way to her seat at the head of the table. Gunnar was already there. Perfect.

Gunnar's eye twitched. "Good morning your majesty," he said.

"Good morning," Elsa replied.

"How does this morning greet you?" another council member, Margrete, said.

"Fine," Elsa said.

"Your majesty," Gunnar said, "I understand that you do some things... differently from the status quo. But did you really feel the need to cut your hair like that?"

Elsa's temple pulsed. "I do not need to explain myself to you."

Gunnar dipped his head. "Of course not, your majesty."

Elsa sat down. Somehow this man made the most respectful terms sound so contemptuous. "You don't need to address me with such formalities."

"I feel it would be inappropriate to refer to you as anything else."

If Gunnar truly cared about appropriateness he would have resigned years ago. Luckily Elsa didn't have to endure any more of his small talk as the doors swung open again and the guards lead in Dagon. On either side of him was a guard, one of which was the sleepy-looking one. Elsa made a mental note to check on the guards' work schedule. Dagon took the seat at the end of the table and the twelve council members collectively turned to face him. His hair was combed and his clothes were smooth and clean. He looked as presentable as one with a scar covering half their face could.

Elsa opened the book that lay in front of her and began to recite all the legal mumbo-jumbo she was required to state at the beginning of every single one of these hearings. Not that she needed the book. She had long ago memorized the words. And one would blame the Army of the Wastes for that. Once she was done Gunnar spoke before her book was even closed.

"Dagon, let me put this bluntly. You have assaulted and kidnapped royalty. You have attacked Arendelle itself. Basically you have committed a heinous crime for which I see no reason for you to be pardoned. The queen has not pressed charges before this hearing so you have tasted freedom. But what is decided in this room today will be the final word. Do you fully grasp this?"

"I do," Dagon said.

"In which case how do you defend yourself?" Gunnar continued.

Elsa really was going to have to do something about him. He had recapped everything but that wasn't his job. If fact not of this was any of their jobs. According to the law books she'd read over the years the council was created to keep track of different matters from agriculture to palace repairs. She wasn't sure when it came to be that they had any real political influence. Although it was a safe guess that it happened during the three years between her parents' death and her coronation.

"I do not defend myself," Dagon said. "I fully admit to having committed all of the mentioned crimes."

"In which case I feel no need for the verdict to be anything but-"

"Don't overstep your position," Margrete said. Gunnar shot her a glare but quieted.

"Dagon over the past few weeks you have been more or less free in the town," Elsa said. "Over this time we have been keeping an eye on you and you haven't committed any further crimes. I-"

"That doesn't pardon him for those he already has," Gunnar said.

Elsa forced a smile. "If you please, Gunnar, let me finish."

Gunnar gave a slight nod.

_This is ridiculous._ _I don't need to ask _him _permission to speak._ But Elsa continued without pointing it out.

"We are all aware of the trails that all members of the Army of the Wastes have been having. These have had mixed results. But you have been staying in contact with them, correct?"

"I have," Dagon said.

"These meetings have been unofficial," Gunnar said. "How can we be sure that you haven't-"

"Gunnar your time to speak will come."

Gunnar stopped talking but Elsa wished he would show some sign or regretting having interrupted.

"Dagon, since your meetings with the other members of the Army of the Wastes they have shown large increases in moral. Almost all of those who we let free-"

"Which was of questionable wisdom."

Elsa ignored him and kept going. "-Were released do to these developments. They have spoken in your favor in the past. The point of our justice system isn't to punish wrongdoers but to help keep the people safe. It seems to me that there is significant evidence the suggests not only that you are no longer a threat but that you have even been a benefit to the community."

"Excuse me but if I may speak, I am not convinced that we can trust him to continue to be a boon to society," Gunnar said. "We don't even know for sure if these meetings are truly a help."

"He has a point," said one of the council members. "The people come first. We can't endanger them on the proposal that a criminal 'might' be redeemed."

Margrete paged through some paper she had in front of her. "You no longer live with your parents, correct?"

Dagon nodded.

"It would be best for you to respond aloud to any questions," Elsa said.

"Yes. I have my own house," Dagon said.

Margrete continued. "Jacob himself used to be a member of this council before he stepped down. Has he since gotten a new job?"

"No," Dagon said.

"Does you mother work?"

"No."

"And you Dagon, do you work?"

"It isn't easy for someone like me to find work."

Margrete looked up from the paper. "Bu have you?"

"Yes. Here and there. I hire myself to help repair things."

"What is it that you repair?"

"Anything really. Doors, carts, whatever needs it."

"And you get paid for this work?"

"Yes I do."

"You live with your sister, correct?"

"Yes. I live with Kaja."

"How old is she?"

Dagon shifted in his seat. "That's not so easy to answer."

"Then please answer it the best that you can."

"She's six. Technically she's nineteen. But she lost thirteen years of growing."

"How did she manage that?" Gunnar said.

"She was frozen for thirteen years."

Gunnar removed his spectacles and set them gently on the table. He waited for a moment as though he thinking about what Dagon had said. "She was frozen you say?"

"Yes," Elsa said. "We fully recognize details involving magic."

"Naturally," Gunnar said a bit miffed.

"And you support this six-year-old sister of yours?" Margrete said.

"I do," Dagon said.

"Were you to be arrested what would happen to her?"

Dagon thought about this. "I would suppose she would have to live with my parents."

"Who are currently unemployed?"

"Yes."

"And your father, Jacob, also might be arrested?"

"Possible, yes."

"And were both of you to be...?"

"She would have to live along with her mother."

"And again, your mother doesn't work?"

"No."

"Is she likely to ever?"

"No, her legs don't work too well."

"What do you mean" Gunnar said.

"She has weak ankles. She can't stand up for very long."

"Do you have any other relatives, Dagon?" Margret said.

"No," Dagon said.

"So basically if you were to be arrested you sister would be forced into the care of your unemployed parents, who might not be able to support her?"

"That is right," Dagon said.

"That is all I have to say for now," Margrete said.

Elsa glanced at Margrete. She wouldn't want to be on her bad side. She could prove a point with the ferocity of a pack of wolves.

"But we can't ignore what he's done," Gunnar said. "We have ways around the potential threat to his sister. Besides, that's one child against the population-"

"Who might not even be at threat," Margrete said. "In fact he has even shown to have contributed to the community."

"Here's a proposal," Elsa said. "Dagon leaves today a free man but is subject to imprisonment after any further offense."

"A vote?" Margret said.

While Elsa didn't need the consent of the council for the verdict she nodded. There was no reason give Gunnar any fuel for an argument against her actions.

"In favor?" Margrete said.

Eight hand were raised.

"Against?"

Five hands were raised.

"Well then are there any objections?" Elsa said.

Gunnar opened his mouth but then closed it again. After a moment of silence Elsa stood up. "It's official then. Dagon you are free to leave."

"Thank you," Dagon said.

"Don't thank me. It was my job to pass fair judgment today. But I do warn you, stay on the straight and narrow. I won't hesitate to act in favor of the people should anything else happen."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Dagon said.

"You may escort him out then," Gunnar said to the guards. They glanced over at Elsa who gave them a nod. Dagon stood and the guards lead him out.

"Dagon..." Margrete said. "That's an unusual name."

"We have more important matter to discuss than people's names," Gunnar said.

"Right," Elsa said. "Have them bring in Jacob."

-x-X-x-

Cecilie sat at the table. Her books lay in front of her and a fire burned in the fireplace in front of her. Her spectacles lay on the table and he sat back and waited. She glanced at the clock on the wall and then set her eyes on the door.

"Any minute now," she said. No sooner had the words left her mouth when the door swung open and Princess Anna ran into the room. Specifically she ran across the room and was about to go straight out the other side when Cecilie cleared her throat. Anna froze and turned around. She saw Cecilie and went pale.

"Hi," Anna said.

"Hello," Cecilie said.

"Hi. I didn't expect to see you here."

"Elsa didn't tell you?"

Anna inched towards the door. "No, it must have slipped her mind. Sorry but I've really got to go find Kristoff..."

"Kristoff's your friend right?"

"Right. Now if you-"

"Sit down," Cecilie said. "We have some catching up to do."

"But I was going to find Kristoff."

"Elsa told me that you were bored."

Anna muttered something under her breath and walked to a chair and sat down. "What's with all of the books?"

"We're going to need them."

"Need them? For what?"

Cecilie smiled. "Surely Elsa told you that at least?"

"Somehow she didn't."

"These books are for your Latin class. We have a lot of ground to cover so we'd better get started."

Anna sprung to her feet. "Wait a minute, you can't do this. I'm eighteen. I've graduated!"

"Actually you never passed."

"And Elsa set this up?"

"I don't know if 'set this up' is the best way to put it but yes. She did."

"Oh, I am _really_ going to get her for this one."

"_Vim_ _nihil_ _solvit_," Cecilie said.

"What?"

"If you don't know then you obviously need these lesions."

"No I don't. I've survived perfectly fine over the past eighteen years without knowing it."

Cecilie handed Anna one of the books. "Open this to page one please."

"I'm pretty sure there's a law about this."

"Open to page one."

-x-X-x-

Kristoff and Sven walked through the snow-covered courtyard. To be exact Kristoff was walking and Sven was prancing every which way. Kristoff made a point to be outside whenever the council came. There was no need to get them on his case too.

Kristoff hugged himself. "Sure is cold isn't it?"

Sven continued about his work. "You cold? You're losing your touch."

"Or maybe it's just cold out."

Sven didn't reply and after a moment Kristoff spoke again. "It will probably be ice harvesting season soon." Normally this early Kristoff wouldn't even be thinking about starting to harvest the ice. But this winter seemed colder than it had been in the years of late. And for some reason Kristoff felt anxious to get back onto the ice. Grand Pabbie's birthday was coming up too. He'd have to take Anna with him for the celebration. Kristoff wondered idly if he would be allowed to disclose Grand Pabbie's age. Had he not been Grand Pabbie's adoptive grandson Kristoff doubted if even he would know.

Kristoff kicked a clump of snow. "I wonder how long they intend to take anyway."

-x-X-x-

The head chef in the Arendelle flung open cupboards and drawers with a thoroughly befuddled expression on her face. She barely even notice Olaf somewhere making sounds as though he was ruining a dish of some sort. She really wished he would stick to those cookies he'd made. Almost everything else ended in disaster. Olaf had told her that Elsa had skipped breakfast and as the chef watched the clock tick long past lunchtime she knew it was her job to make sure the queen had something appropriate as soon as those council members left. But she didn't know how she was expected to have anything ready if she couldn't even find any of the good silver. It almost seemed as though it had completely disappeared.


	6. Dream a Little

**A/N:** I won't waste your time with my excuses for the late update. Just a quick summery.

1. I am still interested in this story and would like to update regularly, however I can't guarantee anything.

2. I have been (and likely will be) inactive on FanFiction as a whole whenever I'm not working on this story. I apologies if I fail to reply, review, or read the stories of any of you.

3. Onward with the story.

But before that I'd like to take the time to say that this chapter contains a violent and possibly disturbing sequence. All within the boundaries of T.

* * *

><p>Kristoff made his way down from the tree. He always had trouble keeping track of how many days had passed; but he felt it was still at least a few before Telka would come back. And in the meantime... well, there was the meantime. Most of the meantime was me time for Kristoff. He never ventured close to any of the houses that were nearby. But with basically nothing to do he had explored the surrounding area so he knew were all the people were. And were they weren't. On any day he thought Telka might come he spent all of his time where they had first met. That was where Telka always went first and expected him to be.<p>

Almost a year had passed since they had first met and Telka hadn't missed a single visit that Kristoff could tell. But now as the days grew colder Kristoff was faced with a brand new challenge. Water. Before he could drink from the stream but it had since frozen. Last year at the end of the winter months he could eat snow which was mostly the same. But now as the days grew colder there wasn't a flake of snow on the ground. Nothing at all he could drink. The cold itself was hard to deal with but Kristoff had since learned how to survive it. And the blankets and coats Telka brought didn't hurt either.

As Kristoff lowered himself from the lowest branch just a few feet up and onto the ground he knew he'd have to stretch himself. He'd have to go outside of the explored area and try to find some way to get water. Just like Telka would have told him. So he walked, going in no particular direction. Hoping he'd come across something. But after what seemed like ages of walking he'd found nothing but more trees. After a short while longer he turned around and tried another direction. His legs were getting tired but he was getting thirsty. After another age of walking he came to the end of the trees. And as he walked out from them he saw what he was looking for. His answer. He had to force himself to not turn and run. Before him rested the half-frozen lake. Chunks of ice sloshed around in it, piling up against the shore.

_Born of cold and winter air and mountain rain combining..._

Kristoff shook his head and took a step back. But his eyes were fixed on the lake. Where they still down there?

_This icy force both foul and fair..._

Kristoff needed to get out of here. He could wait alone. Telka would know what to do. It couldn't be much longer before she came back. But his eyes strayed from the ice to the water itself.

_A frozen heart worth mining._

Kristoff held his breath and took a cautious step forward. Nothing happened. The lake didn't begin to churn, the ice didn't rise up and attack him. No one was shouting. No one was screaming. No one was running.

_Get off the ice!_

Kristoff took a few more steps until he stood at the edge of the lake. Ice sloshed around his shoes. Kristoff forced himself to kneel down. He cupped his hands and brought them to the lake. They filled with icy water and he held his hand up to his mouth. As soon as his lips toughed the water a gust of wind rushed passed him. The Ice flew up from the lake and charged at him. Kristoff screamed and fell back. The slushy water splashed into him, bits of ice cut at his skin. The cold tore at his entirety. Kristoff scrambled to his feet and ran. He left the ice behind him. He ran through the woods until he made it back to where Telka had first found him. He fell to his knees and began to cry. He knew he couldn't do it. He couldn't face it. Not ever. He knew he could never go back to the ice.

-x-X-x-

Elsa had made up her mind about Dagon before they had even started. Given his past she had kept a close eye on him personally. But ever since his powers left him he had showed almost no sign of his former self. He was even doing his best to help the people. But his father, Jacob, was an entirely different matter. He was a former council member and, in short, was a politician.

"Jacob, the bottom line is that you have committed major crimes against Arendelle. Yet you argue that you should be let free?"

Jacob raised an eyebrow. "The Army of the Wastes have also committed crimes. They, not me, invaded Arendelle and forced their way to power. But you seem much quicker to forgive them. Do I see _favoritism_ showing, Queen?"

Elsa drummed her fingers on the table. "Not Favoritism. The Army of the Wastes have shown considerable moral development since then. Some have even been contributing to society."

"So you keep saying," Jacob said. "True they are no longer a threat. But neither am I. You know that I have done nothing illegal since my return."

"That is worth mentioning," one of the others said. "And as he's a former council member it may be bad for our image to have one of our own be prosecuted-"

"I'm seriously considering rethinking this whole council!" Elsa snapped in spite of herself. "I doubt you could make yourself look any worse to the people than you already do."

Out of the corner of her eye Elsa thought she saw a smile flicker across Gunnar's face. "Elsa, there is no need to bite our heads off. All we want is to do our job the best we can."

Elsa bit her tongue. Now Gunnar was calling her by name. He was simplifying his language. He was trying to bring her down with his wording.

"My point is that we shouldn't give leniency to him solely do to the fact he used to be a council member," Elsa said.

"Or to the queen, I assume," Gunnar said.

"That is _not_ what we are talking about."

"I just wanted to clarify."

Elsa ignored him and brought back the actual topic. "My point is that Jacob needs to give back. To make up for what he's done."

"I'm too old to do anything that grandiose," Jacob said.

"Don't say you're too old. You're not as old as you pretend to be. I still have the bruise to prove it."

"But as I am clearly no longer a threat it seems to me that any punishment would be unnecessary."

"I'm not just talking about punishment. I'm talking about making up for what you've done."

"Like what Snake did?"

Elsa flinched at the memory of the leader of the Army of the wastes plummeting down into a fiery abyss. "What happened to Snake has nothing to do with the matter at hand."

"But isn't his fate justice? Do you not seek justice for me as well?"

"What happened to Snake wasn't justice. It was death. Death is never righteous." Jacob kept dodging her attempts to make a point. This was getting beyond frustrating. When did the council even get like this? Weren't they supposed to be people in charge of different divisions of Arendelle's resources? When she was younger it didn't seem like her parents had to go through any of this. Of course when she was younger she hardly had not been shown the most accurate depiction of... things.

"The point," Elsa said. "We need to get to the point. Now. We need to settle this now."

-x-X-x-

Anna was free. It was over, all over. Cecilie had released her.

"Same time tomorrow?"

Anna froze in her position, halfway out the door. "Tomorrow?"

"Yes; we hardly made sufficient progress today."

Anna twirled her index fingers around each other. "I kind of had this thing going on tomorrow. You know Kind of a... thing. That requires me to be... elsewhere, kind of. For a while. Sort of a... thing."

Cecilie sighed. "Fine then. We shall make plans for a later date."

"Right," Anna said. "Sounds great. We can do that. Why don't you do that? In the meantime, I can go. I'll go." She dashed out the door.

Anna ran down the hall and slid around the corner. She was going to find Elsa. She had a thing or two to settle with her sister. There was no getting out of this one. She stopped outside of Elsa's room and knocked at the door. As soon as her knuckles hit the door, which revealed to be ajar, it swung open.

"Elsa?" Anna said peeking in. The room was empty. "That's funny. She must still be in the council room. She stepped away and leaned over to look at a nearby clock.

"Wow, almost ten hours. They must be really talking a lot in there." She glanced over to the steps. Oh well, she could wait outside the door for it to end. _Then_ she could give Elsa a piece of her mind. She went down the stairs and sat herself in a chair outside the council room. As she waited she couldn't help but feel a little like the situation reminded her of something. She didn't have to wait long as it happened. The door swung open and everyone inside filed out. As the people walked past her she looked around for Elsa.

"Excuse me, mind I just, pardon me, could I just-" Anna tried in vain to cut through the line of staff and council members.

"How are things, Princess Anna?" Came a voice from behind her.

Anna stiffened and turned around to see Karl. "Oh, hi. They'd be a lot better if you weren't here. Would you mind just leaving? or something."

Karl attempted to put an arm around her shoulders but she nimbly dodged him. "Given the option I'd choose 'or something'."

"I really liked the other one better," Anna said. "Now could you just get swept away in the crowd?"

Karl sighed. "I don't know why you put me through this Anna."

"Funny, I know exactly why."

"Care to share it sometime?"

"If you leave." Anna pushed him into the line of people. "Bye."

"Someday you'll see!" Karl shouted.

"I already do," Anna said to herself. She stood off to the side and waited as the people came to an end. The hall was empty for a minute before Elsa walked out. She looked thoroughly beat. Anna swept up beside her sister.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Anna."

"Anything new?"

"The council are pigs."

"I said anything new?"

Elsa laughed. "Thanks Anna. I needed that."

"Anytime."

"If you don't mind, I'm exhausted."

"Why? All you did was sit around all day."

"I'd taking twice that long of track over this." Elsa started to walk away.

"Elsa, could we do something tomorrow?"

"I did have one thing planned."

"You did? Is it fun? I mean, Latin is pretty boring."

Elsa turned back to face Anna. "Oh, right. How was Cecilie?"

"She was horrible as ever."

"She isn't 'horrible' Anna."

"You don't have the right to say that. It's not like you sat around all day listening to some hack talk-" Anna kicked a foot across the floor. "Never mind."

"Right," Elsa said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Elsa was about to walk out when the cook rushed in. "You majesty! Don't worry, I have a supper prepared for you it's-"

"That's okay. I'm not hungry. And you can just call me Elsa."

"But your ma-Elsa, you have to eat something."

"I'm fine. Just tired. Does Cecilie have a place to stay?"

"Wait, what?" Anna said.

"Yes Elsa. Kai prepared a room for her," the cook said.

"Good," Elsa said.

"We have a live-in Latin tutor?" Anna said.

"Yes Anna. Cecilie traveled a long way to be here. She doesn't have a place to stay."

"I'm sure we could find a place somewhere. Somewhere nice. Somewhere away from the castle."

"Anna, Cecilie is our guest for all intensive purposes."

"Right," Anna said.

"Right. Now I'm going to sleep. We can discuss things in the morning."

"Just don't miss it again," Anna said a bit too innocently.

"I won't Anna."

-x-X-x-

Elsa lay her head down on her pillow and closed her eyes. She tried to force the day's events out of her mind. She was tired and just wanted to sleep. She couldn't believe the way they behaved. Margrete was the only one she could count on to be the least bit civil. it seemed like things had been getting worse lately. She was the queen for goodness sake! And they just passed her like she was barely there. They went so far as too ignore her authority. Legally she barely needed them to do anything. But somehow they got the last say. And she couldn't help but think it was in spite of her that they reached the final decision.

What Jacob had said unsettled her. It reminded her of the awful night Snake had tried to kill them. When he had died himself. Died spitting fire and cursing. Died screaming in agony. Elsa couldn't help but feel responsible. Jacob's words shook her more than she would let anyone know. And they had let him go. Completely free.

-x-X-x-

Anna flumped down on her bed. A whole day wasted. Down the drain. After thirteen years of isolation she didn't want to lose another minute. She'd barely seen Kristoff that day either. Maybe she should ask to go with him to the ice sometime. Get to spend some quality time. She hoped whatever Elsa had planned could count as a proper "thing". She sighed. The all she could do now was sleep. Hope the next day was better.

-x-X-x-

Kristoff pulled off his shoes.

"Boy, they sure seemed to be here a good long while this time," he said.

"Why do you let them scare you like that?" Sven said.

Kristoff sighed. "They don't scare me. They just make me feel uncomfortable. Like they don't think I should be here. They look at me with these narrow eyes- or else they actually say they don't think I should be here. It's just easier to keep my distance."

"Good thing reindeer don't act like that."

"Sure is." Kristoff lay down. "Good night buddy."

-x-X-x-

Gunnar removed his glasses and sat down on the mattress at the inn. He could afford to stay a few more nights before his wife would expect him to come home. In the meantime he'd be left with not much to do but steam over the queen. Three years she'd kept herself completely locked up after her parents died. And then suddenly she just pops up and tries to take control of everything as if _she'd_ been the one who'd been taking care of issues the all that time. Like _she'd_ been the one to establish such a stable trade with Weselton. And even after they'd recovered from that damned winter she'd all but wrecked everything he'd worked for.

Trying to calm himself he lay down. Alone. He wished idly there was someone there with him. The almost hag-like image of the woman popped into his mind. He rolled over. Just so long as it wasn't his wife.

-x-X-x-

Gabriel flopped down in his bed. Sleep, sweet sleep.

It lasted almost an hour.

"Hey wake up. It's your shift. The gates."

Gabriel groaned. He didn't bother the check who it was who woke him. He got up and pushed them aside. The gates. Fantastic. He got dressed and made his way to his post.

As he stood outside he glanced around. When he saw a chair he took his chance to site. Maybe recline a little. The one nice thing about this post was at least he could rest a little. Get just that tiny bit of-

He didn't get to finish the thought as sleep claimed him. Making him a rather ineffective guard. Much to the pleasure of the sack-bearing visitor the received that night.

-x-X-x-

"_There's beauty and there's danger here!"_

"Get off the ice!"

The men in the center of the lake slid their saws into the ice.

"_Split the ice apart!_"

_Crack._

The world stood still as the resounding noise split through the air. The ice buckled, letting out another crack. Across the ice men dropped their tools and ran for shore.

Kristoff sprang to his feet. "Mom! Dad!"

"Stay there Kristoff!" His mom ran across the ice, fighting past the people rushing in the opposite direction. Another crack exploded from the lake and the ice began to cave in. Dark water sloshed up between the frozen sheets and grabbed at the harvesters. The men scrambled off the raging ice. Kristoff fought to see what was going on as the harvesters began to run past him. When he was able to break through he saw the ice collapsing in the center of the lake. People fell in. His mom slid to a halt at the edge of the break. Around her the harvesters pulled themselves out of that water. His mom was shouting something.

Kristoff saw his dad burst out from the water and grab onto the ice. But as soon as he hauled himself out of the water the ice broke off, once again plunging him into the lake. Kristoff's mom jumped into the water after him.

"Mom! Dad!" Kristoff shouted again. Why wasn't anyone helping them? They were all just running. Kristoff strained to see the water, to try and see his parents.

There was a splash and his mom broke the surface. She had his dad in her arm. But as soon as she came up the water lunged at them and dragged them under. The water stilled and slowly began to freeze back over.

"No!" Kristoff started to run onto the lake but he stopped mid stride. The ice was cracked and glared up at him menacingly. He looked back to where his parents were. He had to get them. But he couldn't cross the ice. So instead he turned and ran.

Sven nudged Kristoff awake. His eyes flew open and darted around the room. He took a few deep breaths.

"Nightmare again..." he said.

Gulping in air he tilted his head back as far as his neck would allow. After a few moments he relaxed him muscles and reached a hand out and placed it on the side of Sven's muzzle. "Thanks, Sven. You do a better job taking care of me than pretty much anyone else. Well, maybe Bulda." Kristoff felt a pang. He missed the trolls.

"I really am going to have to back to the ice soon. Maybe Anna can come. Get the best of both worlds." Kristoff turned his head to Sven.

"Growing up without parents can be rough. I guess you know that as well as I do. But we did good." Kristoff looped one arm around Sven's neck and buried his knuckles into the fur on his head. Sven batted Kristoff's arm away with a hoof. Kristoff smiled.

"Together we held our own. Even though we didn't have anyone else." Kristoff pulled away and gazed at the ceiling. "And the trolls were the best family a guy could ask for."

Late as it was Kristoff pulled himself from bed walked to the corner where his lute stood. He reached for the red instrument but his hand lingered as it passed over the broken pile of wood and strings that lay beside it.

"Why do you keep that?" Sven said. "Or go get it back in the first place?"

Kristoff grabbed the red lute and went back to sit on his bed. He tuned it for a few minutes. "I don't know," he said finally. He leaned back to look at Sven in the eye.

"You're the only one who can talk me into a corner."

Sven climbed into the bed next to Kristoff. "You could fix the old one you know."

Kristoff strummed a few notes. "I like this one. Anna gave it to me."

-x-X-x-

"I'm so sorry," Elsa said. "I couldn't control it."

Snake stumbled back as the ice began to spread across his body. The red glow the was cast from the raging flames below them tinted the world around them. It almost like the whole area had been painted in blood. Snake screamed and his frozen body, unable to support itself, fell off the balcony. Elsa clambered to the edge to look down after him. She saw him plummet further and further into the fires. Then the fire leapt upward. Elsa turned and tried to run away but the balcony stretched out beneath her until the castle was a speck in the distance.

As Elsa ran the fire behind her grew higher, burning everything behind her. She glanced back and saw Anna and Kristoff in the flames. Around them the shapes of a thousand other people came into view. All of them writhed in the wall of flame. And Elsa could only run.

Elsa slammed into a figure standing in front of her. She tried to push past it but it remained unmoving. She looked up and saw the face of the person who blocked her. Dagon. He stood motionless, the scars on his face almost seemed to glow. Then he glanced down at her. Elsa stumbled back as a deep madness grew within his eyes.

"_Moriere_," he said.

Moriere, die.

A pale pair of hands reached up and grabbed at Elsa's face. Elsa screamed and tried to fight them back until she realized they were her own. Her own nails tore into her and she fought uselessly to stop them. She fell to the ground, blood spilling around her. Her eyes darted around and fell onto a mirror that lay beside her. She scrambled over to it as the fire encircled her. She looked into at and saw her torn and bloodied face. Four long slashes had been clawed into her. They were identical to the scars on Dagon's face. The fire consumed the area around her. It began to burn at her, lapping around her limbs. A figure obscured by the fire appeared above her. It leaned in close, hand outstretched. The flames parted from around it to reveal Elsa's own image. It clasped its hands around Elsa's throat.

Elsa woke up, her heart pounding in her ears. She looked around to find herself back in her own room. She took a few breaths and looked down at her hands. The nightmare had just been a nightmare. There was nothing to worry about.

She held up one palm and sent a spiral of frost flying upwards.

"I'm fine. My powers are fine. It was just a dream." Elsa allowed herself a moment to relax before the lay back down. She was glad she had the next day off.

-x-X-x-

Anna lay asleep in her bed. She thrashed about as her mind was haunted by dark thoughts.

_"That's right Anna! Everything!" Cecile shouted. "You have to start over! Math, reading, geography, all of it!"_

The image of the demonic tutor clutched at her mind. She was only too glad when she finally awoke in the new day.


End file.
